With England under a new king, faithful warriors and commanders are being titled as new barons and are being granted new lands. But some of these titles and lands come with a price. As the son of a former slave turned warrior, Adrian DeLyon is the Shadow of Death, and King William's head commander. And now he was given the mission of securing the Kildenry Earldom, but he would need two things. A marriage and an heir. The feared warrior called the king's Shadow has been awarded for his undying service to his king, but will he make a good lord and master to his new people and his wife? Being related to the late King by blood and part of the royal family, even a distant member, the king wants Sarina and her people under his control. When her new lord is in trouble she saves him, but can he save her when it matters most?

Alrek de Roch is a proud Viking fighting for the newly crowned King William, descended from a fearsome line of the best swords men in the North. After years in service to William, he along with his friend were granted each a title and lands. But to claim his new lands he needed to do two things, wed and bed the daughter of the last lord. Darcee grew up as a man and would protect her home like one. When the Normans came knocking at her gates she was ready to fight for her home. But her step-mother let them in and the castle fell. Now to save her starving people she made a distasteful deal. She would wed the Norman, who would call himself her new lord, who was in truth a pagan Viking. When to people so alike meet sparks will fly and a fire will burn. However will it be the flame of passion or the inferno of hate?

Cesare is the new Duke of Norfolk and he is feeling to pressure of his position close in on him as his king and cousin, William, demands he wed and does it soon. Evelyn is the daughter of the last Duke of Norfolk, a cruel man who murdered her mother and sent her away to the abbey to live the life of a nun within the abbey's convent. After running away from the convent in a fit of anger Evelyn finds herself injured at the mercy of a man she had never seen before and fears what he will do to her. Cesare takes her back to his castle in an attempt to heal the injury he has caused and to find out who the beauty of the woods truly was. Events take a turn when the abbey will not have her back and she is turned over as a ward of King William, a man she has never known. As they spend time together the two become friends and soon each finds themselves over come with desire for the other, but as much as they wish it, it is not to be. They took a step over the edge and to save themselves from more hurt they try and fail to stay away from each other. King William was to hold a tournament where Evelyn was a bride prize and Cesare must win a wife among Evelyn and the King's goddaughters. Who would end up wed to who and was Evelyn truly alone or had someone from her past return for her? Would Cesare give up his pride in order to follow the yearning of his heart?